If you have missing teeth, you shouldn’t be embarrassed. We offer a wide range of options for you to correct your smile. The best option, especially if the missing tooth space has no surrounding teeth, is a dental implant. A dental implant will give you optimum functionality as well as an aesthetic solution.

Dental implants are artificial tooth replacements that were first developed half a century ago by a Swedish scientist named Per-Ingvar Branemark. Implants arose from the patient’s need to secure loose-fitting dentures. Since the advent of the implant, engineering and enhancements to the implant have enabled dentists to expand the implant’s usefulness, including the replacement of missing or lost teeth. Today, implant techniques provide a wide range of tooth replacement solutions including:

Single Tooth Replacement

Anterior Replacement

Posterior Replacement

Full Upper Replacement

Types of Implants

There are three main types of implants:

The root implant

The plate form implant

The subperiosteal implant

The root implant—by far, the most popular—is the most effective because it mirrors the size and shape of a patient’s natural tooth. This implant is often as strong as the patient’s original tooth. The implant or artificial root is placed into the jawbone under local anesthesia, then allowed to heal and integrate with the bone. Once the healing process is completed and the jawbone is attached to the implant, the patient returns to the dental office where the implant is fitted with the new tooth. This process generally takes anywhere from three to eight months.

The plate form implant is ideal in situations where the jawbone is not wide enough to properly support a root implant. The plate form implant is long and thin, unlike the root implant, and anchors into thin jawbones. It is inserted the same way as a root implant. In certain cases, the plate form implant is immediately fitted with the restoration without waiting for the healing process to run its course.

The subperiosteal implant is used when the jawbone has receded to the point where it can no longer support a permanent implant.

Post-Implant Care

Often the implant process is divided among three or four offices. At the Carolina Center for Restorative Dentistry, we can offer you the entire implant experience from start to finish. After we place the substitute tooth root, we will create the restoration to look and feel like a real tooth. Dental implants are ideal for those who have lost a tooth and want their replacement teeth to look and feel natural.

Although proper oral hygiene is always recommended for maintaining good dental health, it is especially important when a patient has received a dental implant. Bacteria can attack sensitive areas in the mouth when teeth and gums are not properly cleaned, thus causing gums to swell and jaw bones to gradually recede. Recession of the jawbone will weaken implants and eventually make it necessary for the implant to be removed. Patients are advised to visit their dentists at least twice a year to ensure the health of their teeth and implants. Dental implants can last for decades when given proper care.

If you are interested in learning more about dental implants, please feel free to call us at (843) 849-9044. We will be happy to schedule a consultation to discuss your options. At Carolina Center for Restorative Dentistry, we want you to have the perfect smile that you deserve!